• FAIL Blog
  • Employee
  • Workplace
  • Horrible Bosses
  • Neighbors
  • HOA
  • Family Drama
  • Parenting
  • Customer Service
  • Entitled People

  • Links
  • About Us
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Security
  • DMCA Policy
    • search email community favorite this article chev-right latest posts article list comments tags video article login twitter facebook menu pinterest whatsapp

    Employee forced to take meetings during his lunch break, makes his boss regretful by eating obnoxiously during meetings: 'My 1:00 to 2:00 PM slot has been completely free of meetings ever since'

    Managers who don't respect their employees' lunch breaks should not be respected in return.

    This author recounted the time his new boss repeatedly scheduled meetings and check-ins during his lunch break. At first, the employee thought it must have been something urgent and worth meeting about during this time. However, that turned out not to be the case. Fine, then. It must have been a one-time thing. 

    Then, the next day, the employee opened his calendar to find yet another meeting scheduled during his precious lunch time. When he brought it up to his manager that this was the one hour he got to spend away from his desk during the workday, his manager showed no compassion. Instead, he told the employee that sometimes, sacrifices need to be made on the job. That line would become important later when the author decided to enact some obnoxious but justified petty revenge.

    Like what you see? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google. 

    Author image for Ben Weiss Ben Weiss
    Add us on Google
    Advertisement

    • No one likes a coworker who eats loudly. It can disrupt your focus and become as irritable as the high-pitched internal scream you make every time they take another bite of what seems to be the crunchiest salad known to mankind. 

      However, at the same time, the only type of employee that people dislike more than the noisy eater is the disrespectful manager. Sure, there might be some coworkers out there who do not care about using their full lunch break. Still, that hour should be honored, especially if a contractual agreement guarantees that they receive that daily lunch break. 

      This author had been working long enough in the professional world to know that what he was asking for was standard procedure. He deserved that hour, and if his manager wasn't going to give in, then the author was going to make sure to eat the crunchiest meal during those meetings.

    • An employee eats noodles while attending a Zoom call.
      via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

      An employee eats noodles while attending a Zoom call.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • Advertisement

    • My manager kept booking meetings during my lunch break, so I made lunch the main event of his meetings.

      My lunch break was sacred. I took it every day from 1 to 2 PM. I'm one of those people who survives on coffee in the morning, so by lunchtime, I'm starving and can't function.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • I had this hour blocked off as 'busy' on my calendar, but my manager (newly promoted and full of himself) started scheduling meetings right in the middle of my lunch break.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • The first one or two times, I let it slide, assuming it was an emergency. But it became a regular occurrence.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • Advertisement
    • So, after about the third time, I politely reminded him that this was my lunch hour.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • His response? 'We all have to make sacrifices.' Alright then. Message received. For the very next meeting he scheduled, I joined with a large burrito bowl.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • Advertisement
    • I made sure my camera was on and my mic was unmuted. I was enthusiastically scraping the bowl and eating, giving a thumbs-up whenever anyone asked me a question.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • Two days later, he did it again. This time, I brought a large bowl of ramen.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • Advertisement
    • Last week, it was fish and chips, complete with the crinkly paper. He finally broke. He sent me a private message during the meeting: 'Do you have to eat during our meetings?' I immediately smiled into the camera and typed back, 'We all have to make sacrifices.' That was about two weeks ago.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • And the funny thing is, my 1 to 2 PM slot has been completely free of meetings ever since
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • An employee eats noodles while attending a Zoom call.
      via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

      An employee eats noodles while attending a Zoom call.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • Advertisement
    • heretolookonly Good for you. Entitled managers are so common and SUCH a pet peeve of mine. Boundaries are important. With people like your manager, even more so.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • Stolivsky My manager would never do that on a recurring basis. I can see like something comes up and there is no open time slot like an emergency or semi emergency. He is just not a good boss to act like that.
      via RowlandJakubowski
    • MrsZ04 This is a copied storied, read this a few weeks ago, a new account that's only been up a month
      via RowlandJakubowski

    Like what you see? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google. 

    Tags

    employee manager petty revenge lunch Horrible Bosses workplace malicious compliance
    Like
    Scroll Down For The Next Article
    Show Comments

    Also From FAIL Blog

    Let's Not Track Our Friendships on Excel Spreadsheets

    Let's Not Track Our Friendships on Excel Spreadsheets
    Next Article